Oldham History | WWII veteran was injured at Normandy

Edward G. DeFrees.

The Oldham County History Center, in conjunction with the Library of Congress, interviewed Edward George DeFrees of Pleasure Ridge Park for an oral history of his 20-year career in the U.S. Army. Jan Jasper, educator at the center, is the interviewer.

Q: Mr. DeFrees, you were part of the First Infantry into Normandy at the beginning of World War II, but before we talk about that, tell us when and where you were born.

A: I was born Oct. 9, 1922, in Jersey City.

Q: Where were you when you heard that World War II broke out?

A: I was living in Philadelphia with my dad. Someone told me about it. I was out of high school and worked on my dad's farm. When I joined the Army they asked me something and I said yeah. They asked me where I lived, and I said Jersey. I signed up. After boot camp they sent our whole unit on a boat, the Queen Mary, from the United States to Europe.

Q: When they got you to Europe, what happened?

A: We landed somewhere in Europe and did some training.

Q:When you trained in Europe, did you know you were training for the Normandy landing? Tell us how you got to Normandy.

A: No they didn't tell us. We got there by boat, an LST. The whole front end opened up on the beach. It was warm, it wasn't cold. We walked through the water to the beach. My buddy and I got shot on the landing on Normandy.

Q:Tell me about getting shot on the landing of Normandy.

A: Well we got off the LST and Germans opened up with artillery, you see. One fellow with me got shot. I helped him to get to shore. There was no rifle fire, it was all artillery. I got hit in the back with shrapnel. We got hit on the beach and stayed on the beach all night. I did all I could for my friend. I stayed with him all night. The troops moved on ahead; they didn't wait for us. I stayed there all night with that fellow and took care of him. I gave him that shot. Each guy when you landed had two or three capsules, I think of morphine. He couldn't give himself a shot so I gave him one.

Q: Did you have to take any shots with your injury?

A: Yes, I gave myself a shot.

Q: When did you find help?

A: Well you could move around after things got settled, you know. We walked to a place not too far from the beach where we landed. It was a hospital tent; a medical tent and they took care of us from there. After a couple of days we shipped out of there to go to a hospital in England. I stayed there for two or three months.

Q:When you were declared "fit for action" where did they send you?

A: From there they sent me with my outfit, the First Infantry Division, to Africa. They sent our whole company. We were chasing that German Rommel. We chased him around for a month, I guess. I got malaria in Africa. I was hospitalized for that back in England for two or three weeks.

Q:Where did you go after Africa in your Army career?

A: After World War II the Army sent me from Fort Knox to Korea. I was a corporal, a tank commander.

Q:What is it like to go to war in a tank?

A: It is awful, is all I can say. We slept outside the tank on the ground in a sleeping bag.

Q: Did you stay confined for a long time in the tank during combat?

A: Yeah, it was a year from the time I shipped out. There were three men with me.

Q:Where were you in Korea?

A: We went from South Korea way up north. We were supposed to destroy German tanks. We were there for a year. We got way up north in Korea when the darn Chinese were fighting with the Germans. They chased us all the way back down to Seoul, South Korea.

Q:Were there any times you can remember that were fun times.

A: No.

Q:Did you lose anyone in your tank?

A: No. But something was wrong with our tank when we got up north. We had a heck of a job getting back down south. We were in a small tank.

Q:Did you keep up with any of your tank buddies?

A: No.

Q:Did you take advantage of the G.I. Bill when you got out of the service?

A: No. I got some education while I was in the service. I never did get any further than high school. I was 18 when I joined the Army. I wanted to join the Army to get to places I wouldn't otherwise get to go to.

Q:Why the Army instead of the Marines, Air Force or the Navy?

A: No, I didn't care for the others.

Q:Was this the first time you were away from home?

A: Unh-huh.

Q:When you got back from Korea, did you continue with your military career?

A: After the Korean War, the Army said they were going to send me to Vietnam. I told them, "No, you are not either. I am just going to get out of the Army." I had 20 years, see, so I just got out.

Q:What did you do after you got out of the military?

A: I spent 20 years in the Civil Service working a printing press at Fort Knox. I had never worked before on one, but this guy I knew, he was the head man, the sergeant, see, in the Army and he got me in the printing plant.

The following is an article from Hanau, Germany, in regards to a relief effort after a flood in Hanau and Hamburg, Germany:

Army Spec. 6, Edward G. DeFrees, 40, son of John W. DeFrees of Kingston, New York, was awarded a special medal of appreciation by the City of Hamburg, Germany, for the part he played for bringing relief to the city during the flood disaster there last spring. DeFrees and other members of the 54th Transportation Helicopter Battalion received medals from Dr. Hans Neverman, Lord Mayor of the Free City of Hamburg, during the ceremony at Hanau, Germany. Dr. Neverman said in his presentation speech, "Today the lights are on in the city of Hamburg, but the grateful citizens of our city have not forgotten those who stood by us when all was darkness. A helicopter mechanic in the 4th Transportation Company, DeFrees entered the Army in 1943 and arrived overseas on this tour of Duty in August 1961."

Q: Congratulations, Mr. DeFrees. I understand that you are going soon to a reunion of this helicopter company, is that right?

A: Yeah, there is a reunion of the 4th Transportation Company in London, Ky., Oct. 3-6, 2012. My birthday is next month. (Mr. DeFrees will be 90 years old.). Quite a few people show up. Last year there were about a hundred family members showed up.

Q: When you went to West Point, you were training as a mechanic for these big helicopters. You were the flight engineer on these copters, correct?

A: We even carried a ¾ ton truck in the Sikorsky CH 37 Mojave helicopter; we just drove it in. We did a lot of sling carrying for jeeps, too, but things we could put inside, we put inside. I don't remember how many cylinders that thing had, though. Boy, it was something else. I didn't fly the helicopter; I was a mechanic. I worked on it.